Harness



(No Model.) r v 4 G. C. BIGELOWKz P. T. DAVIS.

HARNESS. I

No. 429,496; Paten-tedJuneiB, 1 90.

WITNESSES; 1 1

a; ATTORNEYS UNITED- STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES C. BIGELOl/V AND FRANKLIN T. DAVIS, OF MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 429,496, dated. June3,1890.

Application filed June 16, 1888." Serial No. 277,303. (No model.)

.To all whom it mdy concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES C. BIGELOW and FRANKLIN T. DAVIS, bothcitizens of the United States, residing at Mount Vernon, in the countyof Westchester and State of New York, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Harness, of which the follow-.

ing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in checkreins and other parts ofharness,'which are hereinafter fully set forth in the followingdescription and claims, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 represents the invention applied to a horse.Fig. 2 is' an inverted plan view of the invention. Fig. 3 is a side Viewof the invention as shown in Fig. 2, looking in the direction of thearrow. Fig. 4 is an under side plan view of a modification of the devicefor connecting the device with the crupper of the harness. Fig. 5 is aside view of the modification Fig. 4., looking in the direction of thearrow. Fig.6 is a plan view of a modification of the rein-guide of theapparatus; Fig. 7 is a side view of the modification Fig. 6, looking inthe direction of the arrow. Fig. 8 represents the connection of thecheckrein with the crupper.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

The letters A A designate the ordinary driving-reins of a singleharness, which pass through the stationary rings B B of the saddle O,and extend thence toward the rear over the back of the horse. The saddleC is connected, as usual, to the crupper D by the back-strap E. I

The letter F designates a checkrein, whose forward end is divided intobranches G G, the outer ends of which are attached, respectively, byfastenings H H to the driving-reins A A at any convenient points. WVeprefer to fasten them to the reins at points behind the saddle C, andhave so shown in the drawings. The said fastenings H H may be buckles ofthe ordinary construction, or may be, as in the example here shown,self-fastening hooks of the kind shown at Fig. 4 in United States thedriving-reins A A, respectively.

Letters Patent No. 347,162 granted to said Franklin T. Davis August 10,1886.

To the rear end of the checkrein F are connected the two straps I I,whose free' ends are providedwith rings J J, through which plass hestraps I I may be continuations of the checkrein, or may be attachedthereto.

The checkreinF. is connected to the crupper D by a suitable fastening Z,which engages the forward end of the crupper, as is illustrated in Figs.1' and 8, thus attaching the checkrein, including the part F, and itsdivided ends G G with the crupper D, and causing strains upon thecheckrein from the head of the horse, as when the horse raises or lowersor sways his head, to be transmitted through the parts of thedriving-reins which are forward of the fastenings H H, and the checkreinto the crupper. and arrangement of checkrein causes the horses head tobe held steady while traveling, and also while at rest, there being noslack in the checkrein or in its divisions G G to allow the horse toswing his head to one side or the other.

The fastening which connects the checkrein to the crupper is a removablefastening, and consists of a barZ that is inserted under the front endor apex of the crupper, (see Fig. 8,) and a chain M, that extends fromsaid bar upward through the crupper, and thence to the rear end of thecheckrein F, to which it is permanently secured. This arrangement isalso shown in Fig. 1, and the bar Z referred to is also shown in Figs. 2and 3.

The chain M of the fastening Z can be se cured directly to thecheckrein, or can be secured thereto through the medium of the spring N,one end of which is secured to the checkrein F and the other end to thechain M of the bar. The office of the spring N is to produce a yieldingconnectionof the checkrein with the crupper, so that when the horsestrains the checkrein it will yield somewhat, and the spring willrestore it to its proper position. The spring N may be This constructioninclosed in a receptacle, so that it will not come in direct contactwith the skin of the horse, and'the back of the horse, moreover, isprotected from it by the back-strap E.

Other fastenings can be used for connecting the cheekrein and thecrupper, and in Figs. 4 and 5 we have represented one which consists ofa plate P, which is shoved under the forward end of the crupper, and hasa stud Q at its rear end that connects it with the central partof aplate R, with whose forward end S is connected the chain M, whichextends to the cheekrein F.

The rear part T of the plate R is intended as a handle for inserting thedevice P under the crupper and withdrawing it. The manner of insertionof the plate P, as also the bar Z, is to pass it sidewise through thecrupper from above, so as to get it under the apex of the crupper uponthe back of the horse, the stud Q coming against the apex of thecrupper. In the case of the bar Z the chain M comes against the apex ofthe crupper.

The straps I I form a continuation of the cheekrein and give a goodfinish to it, and serve to keep the driving-reins up on the rump of thehorse and aid in preventing him from throwing his tail over them. Thestraps I I (shown in Figs. 1 and 2) are intended to be made of leather,but they may be made of metalsay of thin steel-plateriveted to the rearend of the cheekrein, as at V, and bent up at their rear ends to elevatethe reins where they pass over the tail of the horse, and provided attheir extremities with rings or eyes J J for holding the reins, asrepresented in Figs. 6 and 7.

The rear end of the cheekrein F may be connected to the back-strap Einstead of to the crupper, if desired, with the same result as whenattached to the crupper, the crupper and back-strap E being connectedwith each other and forming a stationary part of the harness; or, sincethe saddle O is connected to the crupper by the back-strap E, thecheckrein F may with the same result be connected to the saddle. Thenthe rear end of the cheekrein F is connected to the back-strap E, or tothe saddle 0, instead of to the crupper, the cheekrein and its dividedends G G are moved forward accordingly on the driving-reins and againfastened to them by the fastenings II II. It will be observed that thepart of the cheekrein which is behind or in rear of the divided ends G Gis solid and undivided.

The cheekrein F is adjusted on the driving-reins E E by means of thefastenings II II.

Among the advantages of the invention are the following:

First. The cheekrein F being attached to the harness at the crupperenables the driver to use the check from the carriage.

Second. It gives an even pull on the reins, keeping the horse in theroad and guiding him the same as by the drivers hand.

Third. It keeps the horse from throwing the tail over the lines and thelines straight and without slack over the entire length of the horse.

Fourth. The reins may be dropped by the driver while the horse isstanding, as the appliance will hold them in their proper place andinduce the horse to stand quietly.

Fifth. The reins are always under control, as there can be no slack.

Sixth. It will break the horse of the disagreeable habit of throwing thehead backward and forward, as he quickly learns that such a motion makesa pressure on the crupper.

Seventh. It is, in fact, an automatic driver, and will be found to addmuch to the pleasure of driving, as it entirely obviates the necessityof continually holding up and pulling and jerking of the reins torelease them from or avoid the tail of the horse.

Eighth. It is easily adjusted and leaves the head in a natural positionand at the same time enables the driver to keep entire control of theanimal.

Ninth. The check part may be detached from that portion which holds thereins over the tail of the horse and used separately, if desired, byattaching it to the check-loop of the saddle or to the back-strap.

lVhat we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The cheekrein F, attached by its rear end to the crupper D and by itsforward ends G G to the driving-reins A A, substantially as described.

2. The cheekrein F, attached by its rear end by a yielding attachment,substantially as described, to the crupper and by its forward ends tothe driving-reins, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the cheekrein F, the crupper D, the guiding-strapsI I and their rings J J, with the driving-reins A A, substantially asdescribed.

4. A cheekrein F, having divided forward ends G G, provided withfastenings H, to connect with the driving-reins, and at its rear endshaving means to connect with a crupper, so that the crupper holds thecheekrein against forward movements, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the driving-reins A, saddle C, and crupper D,of a cheekrein F, having divided forward ends G G, conneeted to thereins and having a connection, substantially as described, at its rearend with the crupper, so that the crupper holds the cheekrein againstforward movement.

6. The combination, with the driving-reins A, saddle C, back-strap E,and crupper D, of a cheekrein F, having divided forward ends G G,connected to the reins and held by the crupper against the swayingmovements of a horses head, substantially as described.

7 The combination, with the driving-reins In testimony whereof we havehereunto set our hands and seals in the presence of two 15 subscribingwitnesses.

CHAS. O. BIGELOW'. L. s.] FRANKLIN T. DAVIS. L. s.] WVitnesses to thesignature of Chas. O. Eigelow:

J. VAN SANTVOORD, DAVID C. CURTIS. Witnesses to the signature ofFranklinT. Davis:

J. VAN SANTVOORD, J AS. A. WETT.

